I Need to Tell You, Part 2
by QueenZenobia
Summary: Aaron and Emily want to have their relationship out in the open, so they have to find a way around the FBI's non-fraternization policy. (Continuation of I Need to Tell You)


I Need to Tell You, Part II

Chapter 1

By the time the elevator doors opened on the eighth floor, Emily was wide awake and laughing with J.J. and Penelope. The dark haired beauty was aglow with happiness. She was a woman in love.

The three best friends chose J.J.'s room for their sleepover because she had stolen food from the lunch buffet. Penelope was the last to arrive in her extravagant pajamas, and she whined, "Oh, you two haven't started without me, have you?"

"No, Penelope!" laughed Emily. "You're just in time! J.J. was just telling me about the team's reaction when Hotch kissed me."

"Oh, Emily, I almost died - _we_ almost died," sighed Penelope signaling to herself and J.J.

"Really, you couldn't give us a heads up? Not even a hint?" asked J.J.

"I know! I know, you guys! But believe me, I was just as shocked! I still can't believe this is happening. And out in the open, you know. You have no idea what it means to me to be able to share this with you!"

"I think Hotch knows," assured J.J. "I think that's why he isn't sneaking around."

"That's one of the first things he said: that this is too good to hide like we're doing something wrong. He's so, I don't know, honorable. That's it. He's the most honorable man I know. I'm so proud of him. And I'm so happy. So happy!" Suddenly, she choked up and said, "I've been alone for so long. And all that time I convinced myself that that's what I deserved. That I didn't have a right to be happy."

"Oh, honey, why would you ever think that?" asked J.J., her eyes glazing over. She and Penelope hugged their suddenly distressed friend.

"I don't know, I guess because of Doyle. And because of all the horrible things that we see on this job –the level of damage we have to deal with. How can we possibly be like normal people, right?"

They let her cry, fully understanding the horrors of the job. But J.J. had Henry and Will, and Penelope had Kevin. Both women often wondered how Emily coped by herself.

Slowly Emily contained herself enough to notice the tears in her friends' eyes. She laughed and said, "I'm sorry, guys. I'm just overwhelmed, that's all!"

Penelope dried her tears and steered the conversation away from the dark turn it had taken. "Emily Prentiss, you are holding back on us. You kissed the boss! Now you have to tell!"

"Oh, my God, he is an amazing kisser! I'm talking shivers and goose bumps, guys."

"What happened when you left the pub? Why didn't he take you upstairs?" asked J.J.

"We _were_ going to my room to talk. And we were waiting for the elevator. But when it came, he didn't get in. He just stared at the floor. And when the elevator doors closed I was freaking out because I thought he was having second thoughts. But then he told me that we shouldn't go up." Emily's cheeks turned red when she remembered his words and the way he had looked at her when he said them.

"Oh, no, you don't!" demanded J.J. "Penelope, she's hiding something!"

"Come on, Em, don't make me beg. We want to know _everything_. I will hurt you if you don't spill!"

"Okay, okay!" Emily's whole face turned a deep crimson as she continued, "His exact words were: _We can't go to your room, Emily, because we won't talk. Because as soon as that room door closes I'm going to make love to you all night long. And we'll never talk. And there are things that need to be worked out. Because I don't want just one night. I want forever_."

"No freaking way!" cried J.J. "Hotch said that?"

"OMG!" yelled Penelope. "Okay, now I really am going to faint!"

"I have goose bumps," said J.J. "I'm thinking about my boss and I have actual goose bumps."

"So we ended up on a sofa in the lobby," continued Emily.

"Yes, that's where we found you like a lost little puppy asleep on Hotch."

"Well, as soon as we sat down he kissed me again. Really softly, like he didn't want to start anything. Only he couldn't stop!" She briefly relived the memory and giggled, "We were making out like teenagers. Until someone came in, and that gave him the will power to stop."

"What did you guys talk about?"

"Mostly about Jack, you know, how to tell him. And about work, how to stay professional. Not enough, though. We still have so much to work out! Thinking about it is exhausting."

"You're just tired, Em. In the morning you'll have a clear head."

"It's just that we can't find a way around Strauss and the non-fraternization rule."

The women were silent because that was a _very_ big problem. Strauss was a formidable enemy and that rule could very well give her the leverage she needed to finally get rid of Hotch.

"Oh, and get this guys," Emily suddenly remembered something. "I told him I want to have a baby!"

"You told him what?" cried Penelope.

"Emily, that was super risky!" said J.J. "That should be number one on the list of how to lose a guy in ten days, well in your case, one day!"

And Penelope added, "I know, Em, couples don't usually talk about babies until they're engaged!"

"I'm well aware of that, but I just needed to know. I'm ready now, and I can't waste time. So if we're not on the same page, we shouldn't even start this."

"Well, what did he say?"

"That nothing could make him happier than giving Jack a family."

"Oh, my God!" yelled Penelope again. She and J.J. shrieked and laughed. They were interrupted by a loud, angry hammering on the wall behind them.

"What's that?" asked Emily startled.

And then Morgan's voice bellowed, "Keep it down in there! Some of us are trying to sleep!"

"I forgot! Morgan's next door!" laughed J.J. and the women shushed each other in the middle of their laughing bout.

Chapter 2

By morning the weather had cleared enough in D.C. to allow the nine o'clock departure. And by 11:00 A.M. the team was back at Quantico processing the mountain of paperwork that followed each case. Agents Hotchner and Prentiss each returned to their desks with their usual focus and work ethic. Nothing was different, except for their inner struggle to remain professional, which essentially meant avoiding each other at work.

Even lunch proceeded as usual. Emily and J.J. went to their favorite deli and Hotch wolfed down a sub right at his desk. He was racing against the clock to pick Jack up in time for dinner. But at 3:00 P.M. he decided to take a much needed coffee break.

Emily worked through the day with a growing sense of panic. Hotch was business-as-usual. And, although that was exactly what they had decided together, in practice it felt cold and distant. Then she realized that nothing was truly settled between them. All he had to do was say that he had given it more thought and that he realized it wasn't a good idea after all. So it would be over before it even began. It gave Emily actual physical pain to think that last night's kisses were the only ones they would share. She tried to push the disquieting thoughts out of her head, but she couldn't. She peeked at his office just above her. Moments later her desk line rang. She smiled knowing it was him.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"That's amazing," she said as quietly as possible, so Morgan wouldn't hear from his desk nearby.

"What is?"

"Just knowing it's you calms me down."

"Were you upset?" She heard the worry in his tone and imagined his brows knit together.

"Not upset as much as … insecure." Emily was surprised that she could be so open with him. "Hotch, what are we doing? Where do we go from here? I need to know."

"Sweetheart, we have to be patient." Emily wondered if he knew the power he had over her when he called her _sweetheart_.

"When will we be together?" she asked. "Tonight? This weekend?"

"No," he replied. "I have to tell Jack first. And …" He paused to close his office door, then continued, "When we're finally together, I don't want to let you go until I'm … sated. And a weekend won't be enough." He looked through the blinds of his office window to see her face. Sure enough, Emily's expression was on point. It was her tell and he had learned to read it just last night.

Desire coursed through her blood and her pulse raced. Inevitably, she smiled and flirted, "Sated, huh? What does that even mean?"

"You're about to find out." Hotch reveled in the turn the conversation had taken. But she had mentioned being insecure and he wanted to reassure her. "Why were you feeling insecure?"

"I thought you were having second thoughts," she admitted.

"What? No!" He was surprised that she could even think that. "Emily, I love you. And I'm convinced that if we use our heads, if we do things right, we'll increase our chances of success."

His words accomplished the desired effect. She immediately relaxed, encouraged by his analysis of their situation. She realized that the same calculated focus he directed toward each case was now turned towards making their relationship a success.

"Thank you," she sighed.

"Feel better?"

"Much better."

"It's 3 o'clock. Would you like to get some coffee?"

"Yes," she smiled.

Chapter 3

They ended up at a nearby coffee shop instead of the office lounge. But Hotch was adamant about returning in fifteen minutes sharp. They settled down at a table with a street view and hurriedly drank their cappuccinos.

"So, this morning I was looking at your file, Agent Prentiss, and I noticed that you have some vacation time accumulated. And so do I."

"Why, Agent Hotchner," she teased, "Weren't you supposed to be wrapping up the case?"

"Well, I got a bit distracted thinking about my agent's two-week vacation, wondering what she could possibly do with all that time."

"Perhaps she'll be on her honeymoon," laughed Emily. It was a deep, throaty laugh that made Aaron's breath hitch with his longing for her. But then an idea dawned on him when she started apologizing, "Not _a honeymoon_, per say... I didn't mean…"

"Why not?" he asked, excitement coursing through his veins. "That's perfect! Why didn't I think of it? There's our way around the non-fraternization rule!"

"What? Hotch that's crazy!"

"But it makes sense!" he grabbed her hands excitedly and his expression made him look ten years younger. "We love each other, and we want to start a family. All the pieces fit, don't you see?" He talked his way through her doubts, using every possible argument to convince her.

Emily tried to wrap her head around it. When she realized he was serious, she gasped, "I can't believe this is happening!"

"Is that a yes?"

"But, Aaron, you haven't asked the question."

"Emily Prentiss, will you marry me?"

"Yes! God, yes!"

They didn't return to Quantico in fifteen minutes. In fact, they didn't return at all that afternoon. They stayed in the coffee shop finalizing _all_ their plans. And after that day, Emily never felt insecure again.

Chapter 4

The first time Emily and Aaron made love, it was desperate and quick. Years of suppressed emotions culminated in this explosion of passions. Without words, they nearly ripped each other's clothes off to connect with an urgency that left them panting breathlessly. He was afraid of hurting her, but her assurances freed him of all inhibitions. He was barely able to hold back his own release until she came apart beneath him calling out his name.

The second time they made love was slow and gentle. Many words were exchanged, both declarations of love and the revelation of feelings buried long ago by loss and grief. This time when ecstasy overcame them, their eyes were locked in the deepest, most intimate gaze, through which they bared their souls to each other. And afterwards their mouths found each other in searing kisses.

The third time they made love was with a deep sense of awe and gratitude. That they had found each other. That this was real. That they had forever. Dawn finally splintered the horizon and found them worshiping each other's body. When they were done, they lay in each other's arms exhausted and utterly spent, with the sun shining proudly on them. And if sleep overtook them, it was only with the assurance that when they woke up, they would find each other again.

Thus began the marital bliss of Emily Prentiss and Aaron Hotchner.


End file.
